Patentable/Patents/US-8498231
US-8498231

System and method for multicast and broadcast service synchronization

PublishedJuly 30, 2013
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast and broadcast services (MBSs) through a plurality of base stations (BSs) in an MBS zone. The method includes: generating a plurality of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) including synchronization information for the BSs to generate MBS data frames; and transmitting to the BSs the generated SYNC MAPs, one in each of a plurality of schedule intervals.

Patent Claims
17 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast and broadcast services (MBSs) through a plurality of base stations (BSs) in an MBS zone, the method comprising: generating, by the ASN-GW, a plurality of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPS) including synchronization information for synchronizing MBS data frames to be generated by the BSs; and transmitting, by the ASN-GW, to the BSs the generated SYNC MAPs, one in each of a plurality of schedule intervals, wherein when a first one of the SYNC MAPs transmitted in a first one of the schedule intervals is not received by one of the BSs, the transmitting further comprises retransmitting the first one of the SYNC MAPs in the first one of the schedule intervals; and the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs includes a transmission time of a second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs, and at least one of the BSs determines an arrival time range for the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs based on the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs and a delay tolerance.

Plain English Translation

An access service network gateway (ASN-GW) manages multicast/broadcast services (MBS) to base stations (BS) within an MBS zone. The ASN-GW generates synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) containing timing information for the BSs to synchronize MBS data frame generation. These SYNC MAPs are sent to the BSs at scheduled intervals. If a BS misses a SYNC MAP, the ASN-GW retransmits it within the same interval. Each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, allowing each BS to calculate a time window based on an allowed delay to expect the arrival of the *next* SYNC MAP.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating further comprises including, in a current one of the SYNC MAPs, a transmission time of a next one of the SYNC MAPs.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, further includes including the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP inside the *current* SYNC MAP to help a receiving base station (BS) anticipate the next SYNC MAP's arrival.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating further comprises including, in each of the SYNC MAPs, a different SYNC MAP sequence number to identify the SYNC MAPs.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, further includes assigning a unique sequence number to each SYNC MAP to allow the base stations (BS) to distinguish and track them, ensuring proper synchronization.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating further comprises including synchronization ruler information in each of the SYNC MAPs.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, further includes synchronization ruler information in each SYNC MAP. This provides a timing reference or scale for the base stations (BS) to precisely align their data frame generation.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating further comprises including synchronization timing information in each of the SYNC MAPs.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, further includes detailed synchronization timing information within each SYNC MAP, enabling the base stations (BS) to precisely coordinate their broadcast transmissions.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting further comprises transmitting the SYNC MAPs based on a unicast scheme.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, uses a *unicast* scheme to send SYNC MAPs, meaning each SYNC MAP is individually addressed and sent directly to each base station (BS).

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting further comprises transmitting the SYNC MAPs based on a multicast scheme.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, and a missed SYNC MAP is retransmitted, uses a *multicast* scheme to send SYNC MAPs, meaning each SYNC MAP is sent to a group address so that many base stations (BS) can receive one SYNC MAP at a time.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the retransmitting further comprises retransmitting the first one of the SYNC MAPs based on an automatic repeat request (ARQ) scheme or a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) scheme.

Plain English Translation

The method for an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) to provide multicast/broadcast services (MBS) through base stations (BS) where synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) are generated and transmitted to base stations (BS) at scheduled intervals, retransmits missed SYNC MAPs using an automatic repeat request (ARQ) or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) scheme to ensure reliable delivery. This involves the base station (BS) positively acknowledging the receipt of the SYNC MAP, or requesting its retransmission if an error is detected or no acknowledgement is sent by the base station (BS).

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. An access service network gateway (ASN-GW) for providing multicast and broadcast services (MBSs) through a plurality of base stations (BSs) in an MBS zone, the ASN-GW comprising: a processor configured to generate a plurality of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs), the SYNC MAPs including synchronization information for synchronizing MBS data frames to be generated by the BSs; and an input/output (I/O) device configured to transmit to the BSs the generated SYNC MAPs, one in each of a plurality of schedule intervals, wherein when a first one of the SYNC MAPs transmitted in a first one of the schedule intervals is not received by one of the BSs, the input/output (I/O) device retransmits the first one of the SYNC MAPs in the first one of the schedule intervals; and the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs includes a transmission time of a second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs, and at least one of the BSs determines an arrival time range for the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs based on the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs and a delay tolerance.

Plain English Translation

An access service network gateway (ASN-GW) provides multicast/broadcast services (MBS) to base stations (BS) within an MBS zone. It includes a processor that generates synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) containing timing information for the BSs to synchronize MBS data frame generation. An I/O device transmits these SYNC MAPs to the BSs at scheduled intervals. If a BS misses a SYNC MAP, the I/O device retransmits it within the same interval. Each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, allowing each BS to calculate a time window based on an allowed delay to expect the arrival of the *next* SYNC MAP.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. A method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast and broadcast service (MBS) data frames, the method comprising: receiving, from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW), a plurality of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) in ones of a plurality of schedule intervals, one of the SYNC MAPs being received in each of the ones of the schedule intervals; and generating, by the BS, the MBS data frames based on the received SYNC MAPs, wherein when a first one of the SYNC MAPs transmitted by the ASN-GW in a first one of the schedule intervals is not received by the BS, the BS requests the ASN-GW to retransmit the first one of the SYNC MAPs; and the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs includes a transmission time of a second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs, and the receiving comprises determining an arrival time range for the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs based on the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs and a delay tolerance.

Plain English Translation

A base station (BS) generates multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) at scheduled intervals. It generates MBS data frames based on these SYNC MAPs. If the BS misses a SYNC MAP, it requests retransmission from the ASN-GW. Each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, allowing the BS to calculate a time window based on an allowed delay to expect the arrival of the *next* SYNC MAP.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining further comprises determining the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs to be a lower bound for the arrival time range.

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) where each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, calculates the *earliest* arrival time of the next SYNC MAP to be the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP to help set a reasonable expectation of the next SYNC MAP arrival.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining further comprises calculating a sum of the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs and the delay tolerance as an upper bound for the arrival time range.

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) where each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, calculates the *latest* arrival time of the next SYNC MAP by adding the scheduled transmission time to an allowed delay to help set a reasonable expectation of the next SYNC MAP arrival.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein when the BS does not receive the second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs in the determined arrival time range, the method further comprises: requesting a retransmission of the second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs.

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) where each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, if the BS does not receive a SYNC MAP within the calculated arrival time range (based on the expected transmission time and delay tolerance), the BS requests a retransmission of that SYNC MAP.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising: receiving the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs in a first one of the plurality of schedule intervals; and generating, based on the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs, the MBS data frames in a second of the plurality of schedule intervals contiguous to the first one of the plurality of schedule intervals.

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) at scheduled intervals, includes receiving a SYNC MAP and then generating MBS data frames in the immediately following scheduled interval. This ensures that the data frames are synchronized with the information contained in the received SYNC MAP.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein when the BS does not receive a SYNC MAP in a first one of the plurality of schedule intervals, the method further comprises: keeping silent in a second one of the plurality of schedule intervals contiguous to the first one of the plurality of schedule intervals.

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) at scheduled intervals, includes remaining silent (i.e., not transmitting any data) in the time interval immediately following a missed SYNC MAP, ensuring the BS does not transmit unsynchronized or potentially incorrect data.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the generating further comprises: generating downlink maps (DL-MAPs) including MBS map information elements (MBS-MAP-IEs), and MBS maps (MBS-MAPs) including MBS data information elements (MBS-DATA-IEs).

Plain English Translation

The method for a base station (BS) to generate multicast/broadcast service (MBS) data frames by receiving and requesting retransmissions of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) at scheduled intervals, includes generating downlink maps (DL-MAPs) that contain MBS map information elements (MBS-MAP-IEs) AND generating MBS maps (MBS-MAPs) that contain MBS data information elements (MBS-DATA-IEs). These maps and information elements define the structure and content of the multicast/broadcast transmissions.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. A base station (BS) for providing multicast and broadcast services (MBSs), the BS comprising: an input/output (I/O) device configured to receive, from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW), a plurality of synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) in ones of a plurality of schedule intervals, one of the SYNC MAPs being received in each of the ones of the schedule intervals; and a processor configured to generate data frames for the MBSs based on the received SYNC MAPs, wherein when a first one of the SYNC MAPs transmitted by the ASN-GW in a first one of the schedule intervals is not received by the BS, the BS requests the ASN-GW to retransmit the first one of the SYNC MAPs; and the first one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs includes a transmission time of a second one of the plurality of SYNC MAPs, and the processor is further configured to determine an arrival time range for the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs based on the transmission time of the second one of the plurality SYNC MAPs and a delay tolerance.

Plain English Translation

A base station (BS) for providing multicast/broadcast services (MBS) includes an I/O device that receives synchronization maps (SYNC MAPs) from an access service network gateway (ASN-GW) at scheduled intervals. A processor generates data frames for MBS based on the received SYNC MAPs. If the BS misses a SYNC MAP, it requests retransmission from the ASN-GW. Each SYNC MAP includes the scheduled transmission time of the *next* SYNC MAP, and the processor calculates a time window based on an allowed delay to expect the arrival of the *next* SYNC MAP.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

April 16, 2009

Publication Date

July 30, 2013

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System and method for multicast and broadcast service synchronization